Caldwell Diner Fire Considered an Accident

A fire that tore through the Caldwell Diner overnight and caused significant damage to the restaurant's ceiling and roof remains under investigation but is being treated as an accident, Caldwell Fire Chief Tony Grenci said.

The three-alarm blaze, which began at about 3:20 a.m., remained under investigation Saturday morning, Grenci said. The chief said more details will be released when a full report has been completed.

Firefighters from throughout the West Essex area responded to the "deeply-seeded fire that was largely in the ceiling," West Caldwell Fire Chief Charles Holden said.

In addition to Caldwell, West Caldwell and Essex Fells were the first to respond to the scene and worked to control flames coming out of the roof of the single-story building at 332 Bloomfield Ave.

Holden said his crew cleared the scene at approximately 8:30 a.m., while Grenci and other officials remained at the diner through the morning to complete the investigation.

The West Essex First Aid Squad also responded to the fire and treated a West Caldwell firefighter for minor injuries, Grenci said.

Stephen Gilson, an off-duty North Caldwell firefighter, said flames were shooting out of the roof when he arrived.

"There were flames, a mix of blue," Gilson said. "Flames were 3 to 4 feet off the roof." 

A second alarm was initiated at about 5:30 a.m., and a third alarm at about 6:30 a.m., for additional flare-ups inside the diner.

Bloomfield Avenue was closed to traffic between Park and Roseland avenues for several hours as firefighters worked to control the blaze.

"We were driving up Bloomfield Avenue. We saw a pillar of smoke about 100 feet in the air," said Damien Dimino, a Caldwell resident.

Since traffic was blocked, Dimino said he parked in the Smull Avenue lot and came over to Bloomfield Avenue to see what was going on.

"It's sad," he said. "I've never seen any of the businesses around here affected like this."

Merci Feith, a Caldwell resident, was also among the onlookers. Feith's husband, Michael, is a member of the Caldwell Fire Department who responded to the alarm. She said she could smell smoke as soon as she stepped outside her Wakefield Place home.

Feith said she and her husband were regular patrons of the diner. "I used to go like once a week then I slowed down," she said. "Then last week I started going again." Feith said the last time she dined at the restaurant was last Friday night for dinner.

The Caldwells Patch will update this story when more details become available.